Kaushik Ganguly focuses on small-time singers

Kolkata: Film director Kaushik Ganguly will in his next film focus on small time singers who perform at soirees imitating the voices of icons like Kishore Kumar. His film ‘Kishore Kumar Junior’ with Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee in the lead, will focus on the life and struggle of a modest singer who croons the golden-voiced singing legend’s popular numbers at ‘para functions’ (soirees in different localities), 

Mr Kaushik said at the announcement press meet of the film on Saturday. 

“I will seek to capture the pain and anguish of such singers who are known as Kishorekanthi, Ashakanthi, Latakanthi in Bengal and in the process lose their own identities. No one wants to hear their individual gayaki (singing style) and no one calls them by their names. My protagonist Kishore Kumar Junior represents all these underrated singing talents,” he said.

In the film, shooting for which will begin in March next year, the lead character is immensely proud of his work and even builds up a museum of pictures, news clippings and records/cassettes/audio cds of the legend in his residence. But his passion is not appreciated by his son who is embarrassed to talk about his father for imitating someone else’s voice, Mr Kaushik said.

Prosenjit, essaying the role of the angst-ridden singer, said “I am often asked to croon the hit Kishore Kumar number ‘Chirodini tumi je amar’ from the Bengali film ‘Amar Sangi’ during my stage appeareances. This shows how popular are Kishore Kumar’s songs till this date.” 

“The Kishorekanthis (Kishore-like voice) play no small role to keep the legacy alive among the people for years, with their devotion. But they seldom get the recognition they deserve. I have started making mental notes for the role,” said Prosenjit, who recalled meeting the mercurial Kishore Kumar at home in Mumbai in his childhood and young days. The film will also feature Rajesh Sharma and Aparajita Auddy among others. Mr Kaushik had brought to focus lives of foley artists (who are responsible for the unique and natural sound effects in a film during editing) 

of the Bengali film industry in ‘Shabdo’. He had also portrayed the lives of dwarfs in ‘Chotoder Chobi’ in the past.